Siege

Lord Mace Tyrell descended on Storm's End with the Reach's host, while Lord Paxter Redwyne took the Redwyne fleet of the Arbor and closed Shipbreaker Bay to all trade, essentially cutting Storm's End off. The siege continued for the better part of a year, with the garrison having to eat their horses, dogs and cats, and were nearly forced to eat their own dead.[1]Donal Noye lost an arm during the siege[4] after an axe wound festered. Meanwhile, Mace and his bannermen, such as Paxter and Lord Mathis Rowan,[5] feasted within sight of the walls.[1]

There was at least one breach in discipline, when the master-at-arms at Storm's End, Ser Gawen Wylde, and three knights were caught trying to sneak out a postern gate to surrender. Stannis prepared to have them hurled at the Tyrell host via catapult. Maester Cressen convinced Stannis to imprison the men, however, since the garrison might need to eat the dead if their food ran out. Gawen eventually died in his cell during the siege.[5]

Davos, a notorious smuggler, slipped through the Redwyne fleet's lines and entered Storm's End with a ship loaded with onions and salt fish for the starving garrison. This food allowed the garrison to survive long enough for Lord Eddard Stark to lift the siege after the Battle of the Trident and the Sack of King's Landing.[1] With King Aerys II Targaryen dead and the surviving Targaryens fled to Dragonstone, Mace dipped his banners as soon as Eddard and the rebels appeared on the field.[6]

Stannis successfully holding the castle aided the rebellion as it meant the Tyrell host could not join Rhaegar Targaryen's army, which would have swelled the ranks of House Targaryen at the earlier Battle of the Trident.

Stannis granted Davos Seaworth a knighthood for assisting the garrison, as well as a keep, lands, a war galley to be commanded by himself, and later two more to be commanded by his two eldest sons.[1] Stannis personally removed the first joint of each finger on Davos's left hand as punishment for his smuggling past, however.[1] His younger son Devan would later be taken as a squire by Stannis.[8]

Quotes

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Maester Cressen told Stannis that we might be forced to eat our dead, and there was no gain in flinging away good meat. Thanks to the Onion Knight we were never reduced to dining on corpses, but it was a close thing.[5]